Overcoming the L&D crisis: How L&D can thrive, even in times of uncertainty

To be honest, most of the L&D world is faced with pretty similar challenges right now. The good news is (A) we’re all in this together, and (B) there are plenty of great ways to future-proof your L&D operations and start thriving right now.

Time to get our L&D priorities straight

It’s all about focusing on your L&D priorities, making smart choices and looking to the future. For most of us, that means optimizing processes and doing more with less. Here are some tips that you can use to turn your L&D crisis into a moment to learn from.

Leverage inherent knowledge

Your L&D budget is frozen. You don’t have a fortune to spend on expanding your company’s knowledge base and teaching essential skills. But even if you did have a fortune to spend, there’s no need to. Are you already fully tapping into the knowledge inherent in your company’s workforce?

Your company’s employees are its most powerful asset. Leverage their knowledge and experience. Give them cost-effective, simple-to-use tools that they can use to create a shared online knowledge base. This is the principle behind the Employee-generated Learning (EGL) model, pioneered by Easygenerator.

EGL is a sustainable, scalable method for doing more with less. And during the era of remote working, it’s a perfect opportunity to optimize productivity. Employees with extra time on their hands can put downtime to good use by contributing their know-how to a shared online knowledge base.

Simplify content authoring

Now that face-to-face training is impossible, it’s important to smoothly transition all your company’s training needs onto the web. The key is to use content authoring tools that require little to no training, so you can get your virtual training program up and running without wasting any time or money.

There’s no need to overthink content authoring. Gone are the days when you needed an IT background just to design and publish an online learning course. Using a simple-to-use content-authoring tool like Easygenerator enables anyone within your organization to author training content.

Easygenerator offers a minimalistic user interface that lets users simply drag and drop elements to design step by step courses. It also offers numerous course templates that make authoring even faster. And it includes intelligent content authoring tools that help your employees create better content. For example, it helps them define clear learning objectives based on Bloom’s Taxonomy

Transform to virtual learning

The shift to virtual learning makes sense, not just now, but also in the long term. The current crisis gives us an opportunity to carve out a new direction for our L&D operations. It’s a pivotal moment. That means it’s time to make smart choices that will continue to pay off over time.

Instead of viewing online training as merely a temporary solution, think of it as the future of L&D at your organization. There are countless benefits to embracing virtual training, either by itself or in combination with face-to-face training (“blended learning”). These include rapid scalability, lower costs, higher learner engagement and overall better learning outcomes.

So, resist the urge to look at online training as little more than a PowerPoint presentation in the sky. It’s actually an effective and smart solution that will enhance your L&D activities in the long run. Take this opportunity to explore its full potential, and by the time things get back to normal, you’ll be a veteran e-learning specialist.

A brighter future for L&D

This crisis is not going to last forever. Smart companies are already seeing the light at the other end of the tunnel. Let’s stay focused on the future and do everything we can to make sure our L&D operations are ready for whatever comes next, both during and after the crisis.